by Bill Vincent

One of the most intriguing aspects of quantum exploration is the idea that at a very fundamental level, random number generators and machines with similar equipment (DVD players for example) can be influenced by our thoughts.

Before I go headlong into just what I’m talking about specifically, I want to discuss the idea of randomness. If we accept what is happening at a quantum level, we know that our thoughts can affect seemingly random events. Also, because there is so much to the mind, there may be events that are being triggered by our mind/thought processes that we are not consciously aware of. Given that notion, is there any effective way to better perceive our thoughts, both conscious and sub/unconscious? Is there a way to “catch the flow” of energy around us and be able to analyze it in a way that is personally relevant to us as individuals? Can we, by using our thoughts and conscious mind in combination with a simple tool, learn to better understand our current situations and circumstances more fluently?

If we wanted to create a tool to help guide us in a quest to gain information and learn more about our own mind and its harmony with the quantum-based universe, it would have to integrate some type of randomness potential with a set of symbols that can be interpreted by our mind in a language we can understand. It would have to be flexible, in that not everyone “thinks” the same way. It would have to be robust enough, yet also personal enough to capture our attention and our energy on multiple levels. It would have to be unobtrusive and simple, yet also complex enough to lend to deep contemplation and allow for multiple outcomes. It would also have to be not only unique to each individual user, but unique to each and every individual use. Nothing is static.

Mystical tools throughout the ages

Through the course of history, several tools that match this criteria have been introduced into society. The I-Ching, Runes, Tarot, and other tools that glean information from random symbols and their arrangement are examples of this. The problem is, most if not all of these have been cast out of the realm of practical use because of superstition, misuse by charlatans and swindlers, and disinformation. One tool that has probably suffered more than most others in this regard is the Tarot. Just mention the word Tarot and lots of people automatically visualize fortune tellers, swindlers, and cheats. You can easily picture the stereotype of an old hag fortune teller dealing the death card to a horrified client!

I admit that I was initially put off by Tarot cards because of their “new age” connotations and cheap fortune-telling reputation. But, as I have continued my journey of self exploration, I have taken a more serious look at this humble tool, and come to a much deeper appreciation. These cards have proven to be a very helpful and unique way to analyze my thoughts and view situations and circumstances in a different light.

Do I believe that you can tell the future with Tarot cards? No, not in the traditional “fortune telling” sense (“I see a tall dark stranger tripping over your dog…”) Nor do I believe the cards hold any “magic” within them intrinsically? But, they are a “random” instrument. Every time you shuffle the cards they align themselves in a random way, and that randomness isn’t revealed until we consciously turn over a card. At that moment our existence, our thoughts, our actions and our intent align with the random patterning of the cards. I can’t think of a better potential instrument to “tap in” to the universal energy that is always flowing, always changing, and always present.

New perspectives on an old tradition

By studying the cards and learning the meanings behind them, Tarot provides a way for the universe to tell us what is going on at any particular moment in time, in a language of symbols that we can understand, interpret, and accept (or not). Whether the cards actually do line up with universal energies and personal patterns is up for debate – but my personal experience has been that the cards will surprise me with their almost eerie accuracy/relevance to what is going on in my life at that moment in time. Oddly enough, the cards don’t usually tell me want I want to hear, but very often what I need to hear.

From a totally rational, logical, non-supernatural perspective, the cards can offer a way to apply our thoughts, feelings, and situations harmlessly to the symbols being presented to us through the cards. Meditation and study on just one particular card can lead to insights on our life and character that would not otherwise have occurred. Additionally, the cards’ symbolism presents several layers of meaning and attributes. Study of the symbols and the spiritual systems they derive from can open up new avenues for spiritual and/or consciousness development. Personally they have led me into studies on philosophy, Kaballah, symbols throughout history, and other spiritual belief systems. I don’t personally subscribe to all of these, but my Tarot study has allowed me to peer into these areas and take from them the knowledge that I feel is relevant.

The most fascinating aspect of the cards for me is the possibility that the random aspect of repeatedly shuffling the cards combined with my thought intent when using the cards does have an effect on what cards I see, and what they mean to me. A good analogy that I like to entertain is the idea of a two-way radio with the quantum universe – a way for it to communicate with me personally, and for me to communicate and ask questions of it as well – all in a very non-threatening and graceful way.

As for telling the future… well, if you accept the ideas presented in quantum theory, you know that the future holds an infinite number of potential possibilities. So, with that in mind, a particular reading could only point to a general direction, or to just one of those potential futures. Some say that the cards point to one particular likely future if the situation being applied to the cards stays basically the same. I tend to lean toward a more pragmatic view – that the cards help to visualize possible futures, and that nothing is certain.

Bill Vincent is a media producer/creative geek with a passion for life, love, and the big questions of life, and a self-professed perpetual beginner regarding both Quantum Physics and Tarot.